Wellington, FL – March 28, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival began the 12th and final week of competition today with the $32,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic. Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and HH Palouchin, owned by Double H Farm, are familiar faces in the winner’s circle and were able to speed to victory in today’s class. Richard Spooner (USA) and Molly Ohrstrom’s Billy Bianca were second, while Darragh Kerins (IRL) and Hot Wheels finished third.

Sponsored by FTI Consulting, Inc., the final week of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival will feature the highlight grand prix of the season, the $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix, CSI 5*, on Saturday, March 31. The USHJA International Hunter Derby will host the top 25 on the grass field at The Stadium on Sunday, April 1.

Wellington, FL – March 14, 2012 – There were three competitive classes in the International Arena on the opening day of week 10 of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Starting out the day was another win for Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and HH Palouchin, owned by Double H Farm, in the $32,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic. Following that, another familiar face in the winner’s circle, Laura Chapot entered again and won the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class with Bradberry. In the last class, the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Jump-off class, Chapot rode Quointreau Un Prince, owned by Laura Chapot and McLain Ward, to the win.

Sponsored by Artisan Farms, week ten features two classes on Sunday, March 18, on the grass field at The Stadium. Starting at 10:30 a.m., the $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix Final runs first and is followed by the $80,000 Pennfield Feeds Grand Prix CSI 2* at 2 p.m.

Wellington, FL – February 29, 2012 – Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and HH Palouchin and Germany’s Jörg Oppermann and Lux As If each jumped to victory in Wednesday’s double $5,000 Welcome Stake classes during week eight’s CSIO 4* competition, sponsored by G&C Farm, at the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Due to a large number of entries, the Welcome Stake was held as two classes, with half of the entries showing in the afternoon, and the remaining entries showing later in the evening. $5,000 in prize money was awarded to each section.

Anthony D’Ambrosio, of Red Hook, NY, is the course designer in the International Arena this week. Each Welcome Stake class was held in a one round format against the clock with a time allowed of 77 seconds. In the day session, D’Ambrosio saw 13 clear rounds, the fastest time of 58.94 seconds winning the top prize for Rodrigo Pessoa and HH Palouchin, owned by Double H Farms.

Wellington, FL – February 24, 2012 – Egypt’s Nayel Nassar proved to be the best in Friday night’s $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix, presented by Dutta Corporation in association with Guido Klatte. Nassar and Lordan, owned by Nayel and Sharaff Nassar, won in a jump-off of three over a challenging course for victory. Katie Dinan (USA) and Grant Road Partners’ Sandro were second, while Caitlin Ziegler (USA) and Dollar Van’t Eigenlo CH, owned by Artisan Farms LLC, finished third.

The 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 1, 2012, and will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit.

Wellington, FL – March 12, 2010 – Saturday Night Lights at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival brought a crowd of over 4,200 spectators out to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center this weekend to watch Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Let’s Fly jump to victory in the $231,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix CSI 4*-W Presented by Bainbridge Companies. Pessoa earned the winning cut of prize money after an exciting jump-off of many of the top horses and riders in the world.

The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival’s ninth week of competition, sponsored by Bainbridge Companies, will conclude with the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic on Sunday at 1 p.m. The 2011 WEF will continue through April 3 and award more than $6 million in prize money.

Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela designed tonight’s course for a field of 42 starters. Eight jumped clear in the first round to advance to the jump-off. Six of those eight were the top women riding for the United States followed up by two of the world’s best men from Great Britain and Brazil. The men were able to best the ladies tonight, taking the top two places with the only clear rounds over the short course.

Wellington, FL – March 5, 2011 – The $35,000 Hermès Puissance was the highlight event on Saturday night, and it was an exciting show of power and scope. Pablo Barrios (VEN) was the winner after he cleared the 7’3″ puissance wall with G&C Quivola, owned by Gustavo Mirabal.

The FTI WEF’s eighth week of competition, sponsored by G&C Farm, concludes on Sunday, March 6. The Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic will be held on Sunday followed by the $150,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix, CSIO 4* at 1 p.m. The 2011 WEF will continue through April 3 and award more than $6 million in prize money.

The class started with seven entries, and all were clear in the first round. Seventh place went to Andre Thieme (GER) and Aragon Rouet, owned by Stal Hendrix when they faulted in the first jump-off with the wall at 6 feet (1.83 meters).

Three riders knocked the blocks off the top of the wall, which was set at 6’6″ (1.95m), in the second jump-off. Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Traffic Boy, owned by Spy Coast Farm LLC, Aaron Vale (USA) and KAP LLC’s Charmer, and Benjamin Meredith (AUS) with Raylyn Farms Inc.’s Charme Z all tied for fourth place.

Champ 163 and Rodrigo Pessoa won the Arenus Performance and Conditioning Award during the third week of the WEF. Melissa Bennington and Kristen Galvan, Sales Specialists for Arenus, presented Pessoa with the award. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

“Rodrigo is a legend in the show jumping world and it was a thrill to present him with the Arenus Performance and Conditioning Award,” said Melissa Bennington, northeast Sales Specialist for Arenus. “Rodrigo made history and broke a world record when he and Baloubet du Rouet won the World Cup Final three years in a row. Rodrigo has also competed and medaled in multiple Olympics and Pan Am Games and it was an honor to meet him and present him with the Arenus award.”

The Performance and Conditioning Award is sponsored by Arenus, a premier provider of innovative health and nutrition products for pets and horses, and is given to one horse during the show whose conditioning enhances its performance. Kristen Galvan, an Arenus Sales Specialist for the southeast, was also thrilled to meet Rodrigo. “It’s not often you get to meet someone who has made such an impact on the show jumping world,” she said.

Wellington, FL – February 2, 2011 – The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) began its fourth week of competition on Wednesday morning with another win going to Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and HH Palouchin in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers. This was the pair’s third win in a row, also winning both of week three’s 1.45m classes.

The fourth week of the FTI WEF, sponsored by Adequan, continues through Sunday, February 6. The highlight jumper classes this week are Thursday’s $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 4 at 1 p.m., Saturday’s $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic at 2 p.m. and the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes at 7 p.m., and Sunday’s $75,000 Adequan CSI 2* Grand Prix at 2 p.m. The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition through April 3, 2011, and will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit.

This week’s course designer in the International Arena is Richard Jeffery of Great Britain. Beginning the week, there were 36 entries in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m class, and ten of those were clear to lead the standings. Rodrigo Pessoa and Double H Farms’ HH Palouchin were the fastest of those clear rounds with an unbeatable time of 55.552 seconds to take the top prize.

Lausanne (SUI), 27 January 2011 – Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) was tonight awarded the 2010 Pierre de Coubertin World Fair Play Diploma for his generous act of fair play during the Rolex Final Four to decide the individual Jumping medals at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games last October.

The Brazilian Jumping rider, 1998 World and 2004 Olympic champion, and triple FEI World Cup winner was one of the final four fighting for the individual gold. The other challengers were 2008 Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze of Canada, Belgium’s Philippe Lejeune, who had taken part in four FEI World Equestrian Games and eight FEI European Championships, and the young Saudi rider Abdullah Sharbatly for whom competition at this level was a first. While Sharbatly was getting ready to ride Pessoa’s horse Rebozza, he asked the far more experienced Brazilian for some guidance. Pessoa explained at length how to ride the horse, pointed out the most difficult fences, and gave his opponent advice on how to tackle the course. The Saudi rider used Pessoa’s advice to great effect, going on to secure the silver medal, while Rodrigo finished in fourth place just out of the medals. His generous spirited gesture was acknowledged by loud applause from the spectators in Kentucky.

Pessoa is one of three 2010 Pierre de Coubertin World Fair Play Diploma recipients, the other two being Bulgarian judo player Yoana Damyanova and triathlete Raquel Mafra Rocha of Portugal, both of whom competed in the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore last year. Football player Amin Motavassel Zadeh from Iran, decathlete Darius Draudvila from Lithuania and Chinese wrestler Gao Feng were awarded the 2010 Pierre de Coubertin World Fair Play Trophy.

The third week of the FTI WEF continues through Sunday, January 30. The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition through April 3, 2011, and they will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit. The highlight jumper class is Saturday night’s $40,000 Surpass Grand Prix, CSI 2* at 7 p.m.

This week’s course designer in the International Arena is Olaf Petersen of Germany. There were 31 entries in the class, and 10 of those were clear to lead the top ribbons.

Pessoa and HH Palouchin (formerly named Palouchin de Ligny, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Baloubet du Rouet x Chin Chin) have been a dynamic duo in the speed classes for many years, and this morning’s class was no different from their winning ways. They set the time to beat at 61.125 seconds.